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Fire Safety

Fire Safety

 

This is largely common sense but it is easy overlook key elements of safety.  However, good practice of fire safety, ensures you are fulfilling legal requirements keeping your staff safe.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 states that any person with any level of control in a premises is responsible for taking steps as far as is reasonably practicable to reduce the risk of fire and to have emergency plans in place. A key part of this responsibility is ensuring employees are adequately trained.

UK fire legislation exists to ensure that almost all types of premises apart from private homes are assessed in terms of their fire safety. In England and Wales it is The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order. Scotland has a similar legislation namely Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and Northern Ireland has The Fire Safety Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010. Although there are differences in the detail of each legislation, they mostly specify the same type of premises and similar requirements.

Premises covered by The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order include the following (the list is not exhaustive):

  • Offices
  • Shops
  • Hospitals
  • Care homes
  • Factories
  • Warehouses
  • Pubs
  • Restaurants
  • Sports Centres
  • Clubs
  • Places of worship
  • Community halls
  • Communal areas in shared properties
  • Hostels

Fire Safety Regulations

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 England and Wales

This is the main law regulating fire safety in England and Wales. The legislation in Scotland and in Northern Ireland has similar requirements.

Fire Safety Legislation applies to nearly all buildings apart form individual private dwellings such as an apartment or a family-occupied house.  The aim of the regulations is to reduce or prevent fires from occurring.

As the owner of a business, you are the ‘responsible person’ and have a legal duty to take responsibility for fire safety at your premises.  The regulations require all premises to be assessed for fire risk and for a competent person to be appointed to deliver the relevant training which should include fire safety training, fire risk assessment and fire safety arrangements.

Fire Training

This should include: induction training for new staff, refresher training, fire drills and evacuation procedures and training staff in key roles such as fire warden.

Fire Risk Assessment

You must carry out, or arrange for a third party to carry out a fire risk assessment of your premises. You must also keep a written record of your assessment if your business has five or more people.

Fire safety arrangements

The regulations require you to provide:

  • Means of escape
  • Signage
  • Emergency lighting
  • Fire bells/alarms
  • Fire extinguishers
  • Fire doors

In addition, the responsible person must consider those at additional risk (see our Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans).

Fire Warden Training

 

This course is designed for those people who have been appointed as Fire Wardens at work. The course covers both identifying fire risk and all the actions to be taken on the discovery of a fire. See here for more information about our Fire Warden Training (also known as Fire Marshal Training).

Fire Safety Course

 

Our half day course is designed to make all employees aware of the issues surrounding fire safety at work. The course gives a thorough overview of all the elements that need to be considered in order to enable staff to deal competently with hazards, take the correct course of action in an emergency and comply with legislation.

 

Areas covered will include:

  • Job roles and responsibilities
  • Assessing and reporting risk
  • How to avoid combustion
  • Actions taken in an emergency
  • Use of equipment

For more information, please see here.

Fire Risk Assessments

 

Assessing your risk of a workplace fire is a legal requirement. Either the ‘responsible person’  or a competent third party can carry out this assessment following the steps outlined in the HSE.

 

  • Identify hazards.
  • Identify those at risk.
  • Evaluate and act upon any risks to eliminate or reduce them.
  • Record your findings, plan for an emergency and note staff training requirements.
  • Review and update any plans to keep them current.

For further information, please call us or visit our Fire Risk Assessments page.

Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans

 

Also known as a PEEP, a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan is a legal requirement for anyone who needs additional  assistance or equipment in order to leave the building in an emergency.

 

Before writing a PEEP, it will be necessary to carry out an assessment in order consider the specific needs of the employee and to identify key staff needed. Anyone listed as giving assistance in the plan will need to be made aware of their role and should attend any training necessary. If extra equipment is needed such as an evacuation chair, this should also be referred to in the plan. Consideration to staff changes/absences will need to be given and noted. Each PEEP will vary greatly as it is based specifically on individual needs. If you would like help with writing a PEEP, please call us on 0370 118 8000 . For further information, click here  Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans

Call us now on 0370 118 8000 to book your fire safety training

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